Radiant Era - Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Blackbeard’s Great Ambition

As Lin Qi roared with insolent and wanton laughter, Blackbeard’s face turned as dark as his beard. He firmly clenched his fist and rigidly glared at Lin Qi who was rolling on the ground while hugging his stomach. Only after a long time did he bellow at the top of his lungs, “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny? Is my becoming the Mayor so funny?”

Only after laughing for a while did Lin Qi stop with difficulty. He gasped for breath, then lay on the floor while pointing at Blackbeard and saying, “Old man, if you said you were going to kill the Mayor of Dunerk’s whole family, I would believe it. If you said you were going to seduce the Mayor’s wife, I would believe it. Even if you said you wanted to carry on with the Mayor’s daughter and take her as my stepmother, I would also reluctantly believe it!”

After taking a long breath, Lin Qi burst out laughing and said, “But you want to run for Mayor? Hahaha,what part of you resembles a Mayor?”

Tie Chui and Tu Dao suddenly laughed at the same time. Laughing wildly, Tie Chui’s saliva sprayed far. He laughed heartily and said, “Lord, what young master said was reasonable. When you said you wanted to run for Mayor, I found it hilarious. If you wanted to commit murder and arson, the brothers would certainly follow you, but you really don’t have the makings of a Mayor!”

Tu Dao was rather somber. Unlike Tie Chui who was laughing so insolently, he merely let out a strange laugh and covered his mouth.

Blackbeard was enraged. He shouted angrily, widened his eyes, and swung a fist towards Tie Chui. A strand of powerful qi rushed out from it and whistled in the air. Despite being separated by a long table, which could accommodate a hundred people, Blackbeard’s powerful qi struck Tie Chui’s stomach and sent him flying before he collided with the back wall.

Even after being struck and sent flying, Tie Chui was still laughing. Blackbeard’s fist was powerful, but he held back. The blow merely drove Tie Chui away; the true strength that struck his body was nothing. Tie Chui laughed until his whole body cramped. He pointed at Blackbeard, laughed some more, and said, “Lord, you see, even young master agrees, you really don’t seem like a mayor!”

Enzo didn’t find it funny at all.

Blackbeard’s punch wasn’t merely unfunny, but also simply frightening, so frightening that it made Enzo’s whole body stiff and his mind blank.

In the West Continent, knights were divided into three ranks: Heaven, Earth, and Man. These ranks were further classified into levels based on the Nine-Colored Borders of Heaven. Commonly, knights used the Qi Tempering Method to cultivate, but many secretly transmitted methods like those inherited from families and even excellent skill arts transmitted through bloodlines, also existed.

Without a doubt, Blackbeard’s punch just then was a true special skill art. As evidenced by the dark-purple centre of his battle qi, Blackbeard was also a genuine Heaven Knight. Furthermore, it was soon going to breakthrough to gold-violet level, the most tyrannical stage among Heaven Knights.

Moreover, that layer of powerful, thick black qi around his fist meant the special skill art he practiced had an additional effect . Several special skill arts could make battle qi blazing and fiery, while other skill arts could allow it as cold as ice, and still other skill arts go as far as adding hypertoxic or corrosive power. It was unknown what additional attribute Blackbeard’s black-colored qi possessed, but any excellent skill art was absolutely invaluable.

‘Lin Qi also practiced this skill art, right?’ It was no wonder that Lin Qi—despite being younger than Enzo by several months, being engrossed in the administrative matters of the Ironfist Brotherhood, and being occupied with earning gold coins every day—had been progressing with his battle qi far faster than Enzo.

‘Shocking, truly shocking to the extreme.’ Lin Qi’s father was unexpectedly and outrageously a Heaven Knight, and also such a high-level Heaven Knight. Even more frightening, Lin Qi also practiced the excellent skill art of legend! ‘Tsk, tsk, Ironfist Brotherhood truly has an amazing leader!’

It was also no wonder that Lin Qi could oppose the Knights of the Round Table without the slightest hesitation. Having this kind of family background, this kind of father, as well as  experts like Tie Chui and Tu Dao as support, it seemed the Barwell Family really didn’t count as a problem, right?

Lin Qi and Tie Chui’s roars of laughter as well as Tu Dao’s strange laugh made Blackbeard extremely furious, but there was nothing he could do to them even if he was angrier because one was his only child and the other two were people who had followed him to brave untold dangers for ten years—brothers who had been the Black Tiger Family’s die-hard subordinates for many generations.

After snorting exasperatedly, Blackbeard vigorously inhaled the 34-centimeter-long cigar. It burned at great speed. Such a long cigar was burned to nothing in one short breath; all the smoke was inhaled into Blackbeard. After letting that thick smoke roll inside his lungs for a period of time, Blackbeard puffed out two strands of dragon-shaped smoke, diffusing all around alongside the gale, then forcibly rolled them towards Lin Qi.

Lin Qi just stopped laughing. He earnestly looked at Blackbeard and asked, “Old man, are you serious?”

Blackbeard straightened his chest. He looked at Lin Qi with similar earnestness and said, “Of course I’m serious!”

Retreating several steps and sitting on the black tiger throne, Blackbeard snorted heavily, gritted his teeth, and said, “If I do this, it will also be for the family’s best interests.”

Patting the throne’s armrest forcefully, Blackbeard coldly snorted and said, “These past few years, the family has been flourishing. The brothers under our command have been increasing, and our territory has been expanding, but our business is no good! Thirty years of continuously favourable weather! For thirty years now, there hasn’t even been a small-scale war of a thousand people. Money isn’t easily earned, Lin Qi—money isn’t easily earned!”

Lin Qi recalled his own hardship in earning every single copper coin. He couldn’t help but repeatedly nod and say, “Right, dear father, money really isn’t easily earned! Why, every copper coin has to be soaked in sweat!”

Blackbeard nodded vigorously. He said in a deep voice, “If left to sit idly, one can even consume a mountain. That is unacceptable; we shouldn’t do that. Every year, we need a large amount of surplus to allow the family to always prosper. But now, those traditional professions are no good! Tsk! Last time, after robbing two money-transporting ships of the Vias Business Union, although the harvest was ample, the brothers also suffered a lot of casualties!”

Enzo’s calves and stomach violently twitched. ‘Money-transporting ship of the Vias Business Union? This was the fatal case that caused a sensation throughout the continent half a year ago!’

Looking at Blackbeard with incomparable respect, Enzo couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Sure enough, dragons breed dragons while phoenixes breed phoenixes; the son of a mouse could drill a hole. Lin Qi’s father was really outstanding This scheme was many times bigger than Lin Qi’s!

Blackbeard waved his arm in an imposing manner. He laughed and said, “So, excluding the traditional family trade, we have to find a new centre of profit! We must expand the scope and the range of the family business! What can a Dunerk Mayor be counted as? Afterwards I also want to fight for the position of the Province Magistrate, and even aim for an aristocratic title!”

Lin Qi looked blankly at Blackbeard, “But what new centre of profit can this be counted as?”

Blackbeard impatiently glared at Lin Qi. He angrily said, “Don’t tell me you don’t know that every year, the empire subsidizes a big amount of administration funds to every region, and that each magistrate will decide what to do with their region’s annual administration expenses and all tax revenues? You idiot!”

Lin Qi’s eyes suddenly lit up like two gold coins.